Device for elevating and sorting flexible sheets



1964 c. J. VAN DALEN 3,

DEVICE FOR ELEVATING AND SORTING FLEXIBLE SHEETS Filed June 27. 1961 3Sheets-Sheet 1 fii/s f i I IN VEN TOR.

E J VAN DALEN.

ATTY.

Dec. 15, 1964 c. J. VAN DALEN 3,161,292

DEVICE FOR ELEVATING AND SORTING FLEXIBLE SHEETS Filed June 27. 1961 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. C. J. VAN DALEN Dec. 15, 1964 c. J. VAN DALEN3,161,292

DEVICE FOR ELEVATING AND SORTING FLEXIBLE SHEETS Filed June 27. 1961 5Sheets-Sheet s DISCHAKGE RECEPTACLE READING DEVICE CONTROLLER STARTINGPILE FAULT RFCEPTACLE fin IN VEN TOR:

L1,]. VAN DALEN.

United States Patent 3,161,292 DEVICE FUR ELEVATHNG AND SQRTHJG FLEXIBLESHEETS Christiaan Johannes Van Dalen, Leidschendam, Netherlands,assignor to de Staat der Nederianden, ten deze Vertegenwoordigd door deDirecteur-Generaal tier Posteriien, Telegrafie en Teletoriie, The Hague,Netherlands Filed June 27, 1961, Ser. No. 120,tl62 Claims priority,application Netherlands June 28, 1960 18 Claims. (Cl. 269-722) Thisinvention relates to a device for sorting cards, forms, etc.particularly limp forms, such as transfer forms, according to groupcharacteristics.

In this device use is made of elevators that can elevate forms from aconstant feeding level to a variable higher level formed by the top of apile, as well as of mechanisms for taking away separate forms out of aformed pile, use being made of a counter-rotation roller according toapplicants copending US. patent application Serial No. 84,268, filedJanuary 23, 1961.

According to the present invention, a conveyor belt running under thepile of forms to be handled may move each form past a counter-rotationroller to a fixed feeding point lying under the pile, where horizontalconveyor belts ensure the gripping and the transport of the forms fromthe feeding-point to an elevator comprising a set of vertical conveyorbelts. One of these elevating belts reaches from the level of saidfeeding-point to the top of the full pile to be formed, and the other, agrip-belt, reaches said lowest point to an intermediate point lyingbelow said top level. Cooperating with this shorter vertical grippingbelt there is a second gripping belt provided on the same side of thelonger vertical belt as the shorter gripping belt, but mounted with itssupporting rollers on a slide. This slide reaches in its lowest positionfrom a point above said feeding-point to the level of the pile freshlybegun; and in its highest position from a point between saidfeeding-point and said intermediate point to the highest level of thepile. Further a horizontal guide is connected to the vertical slide forguiding the forms from the highest point of this vertically slidablegripping belt to the top of the pile on which the forms are laid down,so that counter-pressure exercised on this horizontal guide is passed tothe slide to which it is connected, causing this slide and guideassembly to be gradually pushed upwards from its lowest to the highestposition as the pile on which the forms are laid grows.

The sorting device of this invention contains a number of theseelevating units lying one behind the other, each beyond anelectromagnetically controlled turn-cit point in a horizontalfeeding-belt moving past all the fixed feeding-points of these units, sothat each elevating unit forms a pile with a group characteristic.Further a charging receptacle may be provided in which a pile of formscan be placed from outside and from which forms are guided separatelypast a reading-device for determining these group characteristics, whichreading device is located above the feeding belt. This reading devicepast which the delivered forms are guided controls the switching of theforms having a figure of a correspondingly higher order to group pilesof correspondingly higher order. The sorting device may have anautomatic drive for the delivering belts and for the appertainingcounter-rotation rollers for returning forms by a return belt forreading figures of the next higher order, which drive is controlled bymeans for empty-state signalling of the charging receptacle andsuccessively thereafter of the empty-states of the group receptacles ofhigher order. This empty-state signalling means may comprise a fall-inflap which is put down on every fresh 3,l6l,22 Patented Dec. 15, 1964pile laid-in, and which goes down along with the pile going down due tothe removal of forms from the bottom until after the removal of the lastform, a control or signalling contact is closed. Also a dischargingreceptacle may be provided from which the sorted pile can be collected,which sorted pile consists of group piles of forms arranged according totheir group characteristics, which group piles may be successivelyreturned to the discharging receptacle by the return belt.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention andthe manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the inventionitself will be understood best by reference to the following descriptionof an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an elevator unit for thin formsaccording to one embodiment of this invention, with the highest positionof its parts being shown in dotted line;

FIG. la is a view similar to FIG. 1 but including some forms alreadypiled-up by the elevator, and one form being piled on the top of saidpile; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of a sorting device for thin formsor a collator in which use is made of a plurality of elevator unitsaccording to FIG. 1 including a fall-in flap control device.

The elevator unit of FIG. 1 receives the limp forms one by one from asource to its feeding point 24, which source may be from a conveyor 44which takes the forms one at a time from the bottom of a pile 45 past acounter rotation roller 46. From point 24 the forms are fed between ahorizontal upper belt 3 running over rollers on spindles 8 and it and asingle counter pressure belt 2, which co-operates in its horizontal partwith belt 3, and, after having made the upward bend over rollers onspindles 8 and 12, in its vertical part running up to the highestdelivery point where there is located a return guiding roller on spindle13, with two vertical pres sure belts 4 and 5. Belt 4 runs between aroller on spindle 8 and a roller on spindle 9, which spindles 3 and 9lie fixed in a frame F. The other vertical pressure belt 5 runs overrollers on spindles 6 and 7 mounted at a fixed distance from each otherin a slide S guided in slots 25 and 26, respectively, in the frame F,forming a whole with a horizontal arm 14: carrying a horizontal belt 16and further a slanting plate 15 under which forms, such as b (in FIG.in), shot out at the top of belt 5 are guided out over the plate 28 oronto the top of the already piled up forms a (see FIG. 1a) and downunder the faster moving form-pulling belt 16. The arm 14 with itsappendages moves upwards with every form shot out (the highest positionof parts l e-1S of slide 8 being indicated by is shown in dotted lines),because such a form is laid down on the pile which will be formed on thehorizontally fixed plate 28 and against vertical fixed stop plate 22.The arm 14 with its spindle 6, 7, 1'7, 13, guide belt 16, and guideplate 15 may be counter-balanced by a counter weight G (see FIG. la), ifnecessary, so that the forms wont have too much weight to lift and thebelt 16 can pull them easier over the other piled-up forms a on thestack, because of the greater coefficient of friction of the belt 16than that of the surfaces of the forms I). At the end of plate 28 theremay be a counter-rotation roller 21. This roller 21 normally standsstill, as well as rollers 29 and 39 which bears the delivering belt 27for removing the pile from this plate 28. However, when belt 27 is inoperation this counter rotating roller 21 prevents more than one formbeing removed from the pile at a time as described in said abovementioned copending application Serial No. 84,268. Thus, the pile offorms can only be removed from plate 28 when belt 27 is driven (seebelow).

In FIG. 1 the spindles 6 and 7 are in their lowest position,corresponding to a beginning pile onplate 28. When this pile iscompleted, spindles 6 and 7 rise to their dotted line positions, takingalong the cross-hatched belt 5., The described elevator works between afixed feeding-point 24 and the variable top level of a pile on plate 28,from which the forms can be removed again at the fixed level 23 by thebelt 27. V

The sorting device or machine schematically shown in FIG. 2 comprisesten elevator units through 9' according to FIG.1, plus two elevatorunits It? and 13' having no outlet, one unit 11' having no inlet, andareading device controller 12' with a photocell F. The designation ofthe forms is perforated in or printed upon the forms in such a way thatthe designation can be detected by the photocell or photocellcombination F. In these units i through i schematically representfeeding devices like belt 16 in FIG. 1. a through a schemati callyrepresent removing devices like conveyor belt 27. 0 through 0 arereceptacles with piles of forms, and s through s are change-overcontacts, which move down when the fall-in flaps f through 9 indicatethat the receptacles are empty of the previous pile therein. Thesefall-in flaps f through h then move out of the pile and awaitpositioning on top of the next pile when the previous digit pile hasbeen emptied, as will be described later. W through W are turn-offpoints such as at 24 in FIG. 1 and formed by conveyors 2 and 3 in FIG.1, and include electromagnetic track or path switches controlled bycorresponding electrical conductors W from reading device controller12'.

The sorting process takes place as follows: A pile of forms to be sortedis placed in the receptacle 0 of unit 11" due to which switch s movesupwards as shown completing the circuit for the removing device a whichstarts. The forms removed pass along the heavy and arrowed line or pathP, past the reading device P, which passes via. the controller 12' theunits digit read to control the switch at one of the turn-01f points Wthrough W a corresponding time distance from the device F along the formgripping constant speed belts of conveyor moving along the heavy andarrowed line path P. 7 Thus the forms numbered 1 are directed toelevator unit 1' and so on. The unit 11' being empty then the contentsof elevator units 0 through 9 are directed sequentially to the dischargereceptacle elevator 13'. The drawing shows that the moment whenreceptacle 0 is empty, the fall-in flap f makes a contact to energizerelay r to move the switch s down to its other contacts, informing thereading unit or controller 12.of this empty state. In consequence ofthis the photocell F is switched to the tens digit and at the same timea positive potential is applied to the change-over spring of switch sdue to which the removing device a starts and its fall-in flap f movesup and in over the pile then resting in 0 (supposing unit 0 haspreviously received some forms). These removed forms from pile 0 arethen read by photocell F in their tens digit and accordingly returned tothe corresponding group pile now on topof the fallin flaps f through fAs soon as receptacle this empty,

its fall-in flap f makes a contact to energize its relay my to moveswitch s down to its other contact/and to apply positive potential tothe switch s starting removing device 11; so that receptacle 0 isemptied next and so forth. This process goes on until receptacle 0 isempty too,

downward movement of switch s will not only switch in the removingdevice, but it will also cause turn-off point W to operate, due to whichall the forms land in the correct sequence in discharged receptacle'oafter which its switch .9 moves down too, informing con- 7 Forms thatthe photocell F cannot read properly are led by unit 12 to the faultreceptacle 0 It is clear that as soon as receptacle 0 has been emptiedagain after a pile or group was laid in and the distribution process hasbegun, a fresh pile or group can already be placed in it. As soon as thefirst pile or group has been classified and stored in receptacle 0 (i.e.after the last release of switch s the sorting of the second group canproceed without interruption, etc.

While I have illustrated and described what I regard to be the preferredembodiment of my invention, nevertheless it will be understood that suchis merely exemplary and that numerous. modifications and rearrangementsmay be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention,I claim:

1. A flexible sheet elevating device comprising:

(a) two vertical cooperating sheet gripping conveyor belts of differentheights for successively elevating said sheets between them,

(12) means to feed successively said sheets between said two belts attheir lower ends,

(c) a platform for said sheets located a fixed distance corresponding tothe heightof the shorter one of said belts above said feeding means,

(d)' a slide mounted for movement parallel to the movement of saidsheets by said two: belts,

(e) a third sheet-gripping conveyor belt mounted on said slide and insheet gripping engagement against the longer of said two belts togetherwith the shorter of said two belts, and a (f) means on said slideinitially resting on said platform for discharging sheets from the upperend of said third belt onto said platform successively on top of eachother to form a pile of said sheets on said platform, whereby said slideraises with said pile as said pile grows higher.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said feeding rbheians includesa pair of cooperating horizontal conveyor e ts. I

p 3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said platform includes a stopfor at least one edge of said sheets discharged thereon.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said discharging means onsaidslide includes a horizontal conveying belt having a speed greater thansaid third conveyor belt and a guide deflector for said sheet from theupper end of said third belt for guiding said sheets toward saidhorizontal belt.

5. A device according to claim 1 including means mounted on saidplatformfor removing said sheets one at a time from the bottom of said pile.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein said removing means includes ahorizontal conveyor-belt under, said platform and a counter rotationroller above said belt adjacent said pile for preventing the removalofsmore than one sheet at a time from the bottom of said pile.

7. A sorting device for sheets having a plurality of elevating devicesaccording to claim 1 and a plurality of detectable group designationsthereon, comprising:

(a) a charging receptacle for a pile of sheets to be sorted,

(b) a plurality of group receptacles forpiles of sheets corresponding toeach different group designation on said sheets,

(c) means at each receptacle for removing one sheet at a' time from thebottom of the pile in that receptacle, I

(d) one of said elevating devices at each group receptacle for pilingsheets successively one on top of the other in that receptacle,

(e) means for feeding sheets to each said piling means,

(7) circuit conveyor belt means passing each said removing means andeach said feeding means,

(g) sheet switching means along said belt means at each said feedingmeans, and

(h) means along said belt means before said feeding means and after saidremoving means for reading said designations on said sheets andcontrolling said switching means in accordance therewith.

8. A sorting device according to claim 7 wherein each said removingmeans includes a horizontal conveyor under its corresponding receptacleand a counter rotation roller adjacent thereto for insuring the removalof one sheet at a time from that receptacle.

9. A sorting device for sheets having a plurality of detectable groupdesignations thereon comprising:

(a) a charging receptacle for a pile of sheets to be stored,

(b) a plurality of group receptacles for piles of sheets correspondingto each different group designation on said sheets,

() a discharge receptacle for the sorted pile of sheets,

(d) means at said charging receptacle and each group receptacle forremoving one sheet at a time from the bottom of the pile in thatreceptacle,

(e) means at said discharge receptacle and each group receptacle forpiling sheets successively one on top of the other in that receptacle,

( means for feeding sheets to each said piling means,

(g) circuit conveyor belt means passing each said removing means andeach said feeding means,

(h) sheet switching means along said belt means at each said feedingmeans,

(i) means along said belt means before said feeding means and after saidremoving means for reading said designations on said sheets andcontrolling said switching means in accordance therewith,

(j) means at said charging receptacle for detecting when said chargingreceptacle is empty of sheets, and

(k) means controlled by said empty detecting means for transferring thepiles of sheets in said group receptacles successively to saiddischarging receptacle.

10. A sorting device according to claim 9 including a fault receptaclealong said belt means after said reading means, said fault receptacleincluding a sheet piling means, and means in said reading means fordirecting faulty read sheets to said fault receptacle.

11. A sorting device for sheets having a plurality of detectable groupdesignations thereon in each of a plurality of different orders,comprising:

(a) a charging receptacle for a pile of sheets to be sorted,

(b) a plurality of group receptacles for piles of sheets correspondingto each different group designation,

(0) means at each receptacle for removing one sheet at a time from thebottom of the pile in that receptacle,

(d) means at each group receptacle for piling sheets successively one ontop of the other in that receptacle,

(e) means for feeding sheets to each said piling means,

( circuit conveyor belt means passing each said removing means and eachsaid feeding means,

(g) sheet switching means along said belt means at each said feedingmeans,

(12) means along said belt means before said feeding means and aftersaid removing means for reading said designation on said sheets andcontrolling said switching means in accodance therewith,

(i) means at each said receptacle for detecting when that receptacle isempty of sheets, and

(j) means controlled by said detecting means for controlling saidreading means to set said reading means to the group designation of thenext higher order and successively operating said removing means tosuccessively pass each said group corresponding pile past the just setreading means.

12. A sorting device according to claim 11 including a dischargereceptacle for sorted piles of sheets, said discharge receptacleincluding a piling means, and means controlled by said empty detectingmeans for transferring the piles of sheets in said group receptacles tosaid discharge receptacle after all of said orders have been read oneach of said sheets.

13. A device for piling limp forms supplied at a point, characterizedby:

(1) horizontal conveyor belts for gripping and transporting between themthe forms from a feeding point lying under the piles to an elevator;

(2) said elevator comprising a set of vertical conveyor belts which takeover the forms between (a) one of the belts reaching from the level ofsaid feeding point to the top of the full piles to be formed, and

(b) a first grip belt reaching from said lowest point to an intermediatepoint lying below said top belt, and

(c) a second grip belt provided at the same side of said one belt assaid first grip belt and mounted on a slide;

(3) said slide in its lowest position reaching from a point above thefeeding point to a level of the pile freshly begun, and in its highestposition reaching from a point between said feeding point and saidintermediate point to the highest level of the pile to be formed, and

(a) guide means on said slide for guiding the forms from the highestpoint of said grip belts to the top of the pile and so laying them downthat counter pressure they exercise on said guide means is passed tosaid slide causing the latter to be gradually pushed upwardly by oneform after another from the lowest to the highest position, as the pilegrows.

14. A device according to claim 13 including:

(4) means for removing the limp forms from the bottom of the pile in thedirection of an outlet, including a counter rotation roller for checkingthe movement of the forms being removed.

15. A sorting device characterized by a number of piling devicesaccording to claim 14, the feeding points of which lie one behind theother, said sorting device comprising:

(1) a feeding belt having a corresponding number of electromagneticallycontrolled turn-off switches, one being located before each one of saidfeeding points;

(2) a reading device along said feeding belt for reading said forms andcontrolling said turn-off switches to form separate piles in said pilingdevices corresponding to separate predetermined group characteristics;

(3) a charging receptacle, along said feeding belt before said readingdevice, in which a pile of forms can be placed from outside and fromwhich forms are guided separately past said reading device for readingtheir group characteristics; and

(4) a discharge receptacle along said feeding belt from which a sortedpile can be collected, said sorted pile consisting of group piles offorms arranged according to their group characteristics.

16. A sorting device according to claim 15 including:

(5) separate means for removing said forms successively from each ofsaid group piles, comprising:

(a) a form removing belt,

(b) a counter rotation roller,

(6) means for signalling the empty state of said charging receptacle,and successively of the group receptacles for said group piles of higherorder, and

(7) means for switching said reading device each time said chargingreceptacle and said group receptacles are empty to a figure of acorrespondingly higher order, each time said charging receptacle and allsaid group receptacles are emptied, as a result of which the group pilesare finally guided to said discharging receptacle. r

17. A sorting device according to, claim 16 including:

(8) a fault receptacle along said feeding belt, and i a (9) controlmeans in said reading device for directing faulty forms to said faultreceptacle.

18. A sorting device according to claim 16 wherein said empty statesignalling means comprises:

(a) a fall-in flap which lays on top of every fresh pile V placed in thereceptacle, and which follows along with the lowering top of a pile asforms are removed therefrom by said removing means, and

a a (b) a contact meansoperated by said flap when said last form isremoved from said pile.

References Cited in' the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,402,787" Norris Jan. 10, 1922 2,081,280 Pearl May 25,1937 2,737,390Morgan Mar. 6, 1956 2,795,328 Tyler June '11, 1957 2,845,267 PerssonJuly 29, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 86,769 Norway ....1 Jan. 9', 19561,063,528 Germany Au 13, 1959

9. A SORTING DEVICE FOR SHEETS HAVING A PLURALITY OF DETECTABLE GROUPDESIGNATIONS THEREON COMPRISING: (A) A CHARGING RECEPTACLE FOR A PILE OFSHEETS TO BE STORED, (B) A PLURALITY OF GROUP RECEPTACLES FOR PILES OFSHEETS CORRESPONDING TO EACH DIFFERENT GROUP DESIGNATION ON SAID SHEETS,(C) A DISCHARGE RECEPTACLE FOR THE SORTED PILE OF SHEETS, (D) MEANS ATSAID CHARGING RECEPTACLE AND EACH GROUP RECEPTACLE FOR REMOVING ONESHEET AT A TIME FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE IN THAT RECEPTACLE, (E)MEANS AT SAID DISCHARGE RECEPTACLE AND EACH GROUP RECEPTACLE FOR PILINGSHEETS SUCCESSIVELY ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER IN THAT RECEPTACLE, (F)MEANS FOR FEEDING SHEETS TO EACH SAID PILING MEANS,